Week 2
Hi and welcome to the second development blog for Unleash!
Unleash is progressing nicely. We have fixed a few bugs and made improvements in a few places. However, we have a couple of major updates planned that are nearing completion. Firstly, we are soon ready to unveil two new game modes: Classic Tower Defense and Sandbox. Additionally, we have been fine tuning the lighting model and tested a range of image effects. Finally, the UI redesign process is slowly progressing, although there’s still a lot of work there.
New Razorlegs
The Razorlegs monster is one of our favourites. We think it perfectly captures the style of monsters in Unleash: Terrifying and powerful. We have finished four new fully rigged animations and textured models, based on new concept art. If you have been following us on social media, you will probably have seen the teasers during the week. Finally, the new Razorlegs models are ready for the next game update!
(New Razorlegs concept art (background) and the final 3D model (foreground, outlined))
Game Modes
We are planning to release the new Classic Tower Defense and Sandbox game modes sometime next week, barring any major unforeseen issues. The Classic Tower Defense will afford a typical TD experience. You build up your base and attempt to survive for as long as possible against incoming waves of monsters. You can play this in singleplayer, or you can play next to other players and compare your skills, inspire each other and see who can last the longest. The Sandbox game mode is basically an open Unleash world. You have loads of resources and you cannot die. So it’s like a playground for you to experiment, learn the secrets of the game and try out ideas in a non-competitive environment.
(Screenshot from new parts of the menu to support choosing a game mode)
We are considering to release a “Scenario Editor” for Classic TD, which would allow you - the players - to create your own TD scenarios, having full control over which monsters spawn when, in what quantities and to which rewards. While this editor is still a bit further away (it needs UI and usability considerations), we think that it would be cool for you to be able to design your own adventures and share them with the world through Steam Workshop.
(Screenshot of the current ‘TD Scenario Editor’ in its unfinished state)
Graphical Update
We have been working hard to improve the overall look of the game. To this end, we have changed the lighting model from “Forward” to “Deferred”. One of the reasons for this is that it allows us to utilize more lights. Additionally, we have been tweaking a bloom filter, which really helps make effects, emissions and light stand out much more. We hope you will receive this graphical overhaul positively!
(Screenshot of the result of the graphical update - so far - still a work in progress)
Diagonal Wall Connectors
One of the eyesores that we have been aware of for a while is using diagonal walls. Previously, they did not visually connect and thus players could be lead to believe that monsters would just walk through between two diagonally placed walls. However, this is not the case. Therefore, we have experimented a bit with solutions, and arrived at this one using sandbags to clearly show that “the road is closed”.
(Before (left) and after (right) of the same base with lots of diagonal walls)
Closing Remarks
We, the developers of Unleash, are committed to regular gameplay sessions where you can join us online. Next one is Tuesday the 10th of October at 17:00 / 5 PM (CET). Fire up Unleash and join us for the “real” multiplayer experience!
If you want to see how we play, but cannot join the play session, you can watch gameplay videos without commentary through our Twitch profile. We live stream each session.
If you haven’t already, get your free Unleash beta Steam key through our website. The free open beta will run for a limited time period, so use the chance to try it out now for free with your friends!
And remember… Monsters never come alone.